


Secret Keeper

by Squarepeg72



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Costume Parties & Masquerades, F/M, Masks, Secret Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-09
Updated: 2020-10-09
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:07:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,027
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26904856
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Squarepeg72/pseuds/Squarepeg72
Summary: Keeping their relationship a secret has let them get to know each other and fall in love. Can they keep their relationship a secret after they attend the Ministry's Annual Masquerade Ball?
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Oliver Wood
Comments: 2
Kudos: 48
Collections: Roll-a-Prompt Writing Comp 2020





	Secret Keeper

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Roll-A-Prompt 2020 in Hermione's Haven
> 
> Character Roll: Oliver Wood  
> Trope Roll: Secret Relationship
> 
> [](https://www.flickr.com/photos/148170750@N07/50496163552/in/dateposted-public/)

_Meet me by the fountain…_

She looked at the letters scrawled across the scrap of parchment that had dropped onto her desk as a grey owl flew through her office. She was looking forward to the Ministry’s annual Hallow’s Eve Masquerade Ball tonight. She would get to spend some time with him without having to worry about who was looking at them and who knew. Grabbing a piece of parchment from the small box on her desk, she scratched out a message of her own.

_Owl feathers on your mask could give us away…_

He pulled the neatly folded piece of parchment from his kit. She always managed to send him messages without using an owl. He needed to start getting ready for the Ball, but he wasn’t sure of the costumes she had chosen. He was glad they were wearing masks because that helped hide who he was. Maybe he could keep to the shadows and talk her into joining him there. They spent enough time in the spotlight when they were working. He wasn’t sure how much longer they could keep their relationship a secret, but he would try for a little longer, for her sake.

_The Masquerade is the perfect place to spend time together…_

She looked down at the collection of parchment scraps in the box. She had kept every one of the messages he had sent her over the last few months. Hundreds of messages between them, records of meetings, and kisses kept away from the world. She knew they could not keep this up forever, but between their two careers, they didn’t have much choice. Having a private life when you are a public figure is never easy.

_They don’t match. People will notice if they see us together…_

He was not surprised to see a folded piece of parchment on his pillow when he returned to his bedroom from taking a shower. She had made a schedule for both of them to follow for today. Timing was everything when you were trying to hide a relationship. She knew when he got home from practice and when he needed to leave to get to the Ball before her. She also knew what colours he hated and what colours he looked best in. She had rejected his original idea for their costumes, he had suggested Harlequin and Columbine. She had vetoed the idea because they were trying not to be noticed, and those costumes would definitely get them noticed. Placing the parchment in the drawer of his bedside table, he looked at the dark suit laid out on his bed. He would definitely blend into the shadows. Maybe they could get away with their costumes.

_What kind of owl is black? Are you sure no one will make the connection?_

She caught the piece of parchment drifting down from the ceiling in her bedroom. He had fun making his messages fly in from strange places after she taught him the spell. He knew where she would be most of the time he sent her messages like this. She needed to get her hair tamed and herself into her costume. The gold threads on the fabric caught the light as the dress hung on the door of her wardrobe. She was hoping people would not make the connection between their costumes. She had picked his to be abstract enough to not look like an owl at first glance. There was nothing abstract about her costume. She was going to the Ball as Athena, Goddess of Wisdom. She was counting on certain people not making the connections between an owl and a goddess. It was getting harder to find ways to be together without people knowing they were together. Maybe they should make their relationship not so secret anymore.

_Are you sure about this? Secrets are so hard to keep…_

He played with the piece of parchment in his pocket. They both prized what little privacy they could find with their very public careers, but keeping their relationship a secret had taken away the pressure to move at the pace others wanted. He wanted to be able to walk down Diagon Alley holding her hand without causing a mob. He wanted to be able to take her to meet his parents without spelling them to secrecy. Rita Skeeter had been making their lives impossible since before the War. Was their relationship strong enough to survive stepping into the light? He hoped it was because he was going to rewrite the rules tonight. They had to take their masks off at midnight, and he intended to be by her side, holding her hand, when it was time. Secrets had a way of being found out, and he intended to control this reveal just like he controlled things on the pitch.

_Why keep us a secret anymore? We love each other, and there is nothing in our contracts that says we can’t be together…_

She looked at her reflection in the mirror and adjusted her mask. He wanted to take their relationship public. They had talked about it a little over the last few months, but she wasn’t sure she was ready for the crush that would follow their announcement. She loved the quiet moments they spent together after the chaos and noise of her career. She knew couples that had managed a private life and relationships with their very public images, but she was not sure she would be given the same grace and space that her friends had been given. There was a difference between being the Head Auror and the Head of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures - Beast Division. They were both War Heros, but he had been dating his wife since they were at Hogwarts. Her relationship was putting together two very different professional worlds, and most people would consider them opposites that should never attract. Could they survive stepping into the light? He was right. If they were going to stop hiding, tonight was the perfect time. They could at least enjoy the time before midnight together without too much interruption. It would be a great way to end the evening, taking his mask off and kissing him where everyone could see. Secrets never stayed hidden anyway, so why not be the one to tell her own?

_Okay. A kiss at midnight for the world to see?_

He took a final look in the mirror to make sure everything was as it was supposed to be. The Ministry had set up transportation points around London so people could arrive at the Ball in costume without having to dust off Floo powder or take a chance of splinching themselves trying not to destroy their elaborate costumes. He was wearing a simple, black tuxedo with a grey shirt and silver tie. The part that made the costume spectacular was the mask that he was wearing. It looked like someone had taken the face of a black-banded owl and made it the size of his face. He almost looked like an owl when he had the mask on with the tuxedo. As much as she wanted them not to be noticed, an owl and a goddess were going to cause conversations. He was glad that she had finally agreed to stop keeping their relationship a secret. All he had to do was last until midnight. He was a patient man, and this was something he wanted. With one last tug of his collar and tweak of his mask, he left his flat to meet his secret lover.

_Can you get the boys to run interference? A distraction right before midnight would help…_

She thought about his latest message as she pulled her cape around her shoulders. It would not take much to get the boys to cause a distraction or two at the Ball. They both loved to try out new gadgets and pranks at Ministry events, and their ghostly partner loved to show up at the Masquerade Ball to help with the chaos. A little bit of Weasley magic before midnight could be the perfect cover for their first public kiss. This could work. The hard part would be surviving the storms that would come tomorrow. Between a certain gossip columnist and a sports reporter, papers would be flying off the newsstands tomorrow. But, their choices were limited if they wanted their relationship to grow beyond stolen kisses in hidden hallways. She grabbed a couple of pieces of parchment and sent off a few quick messages before she stepped out of her flat and headed for the Ball.

_Distraction arranged. I can’t wait to see you in your costume. Meet me by the side door…_

He tried not to fidget as he waited for her to arrive. She had picked the side door as her entry point so they could get some time together before the dancing started. He was looking forward to finally being able to dance with her in a public space. So far, no one had recognized him. He had managed to avoid speaking to anyone by simply nodding as a greeting. He would give himself away as soon as he spoke because the lilt in his voice was hard to miss—the cool touch of her hand in his startled him.

“I canna believe you are finally here and holding my hand,” he whispered as she moved to stand beside him. “We dinna have to do this if ye dinna want. I can wait.”

“I am tired of hiding and only getting time together when we can both sneak away.” She stepped in front of him so she could look up into his eyes. “Others have made relationships work with very public images. If Harry and Ginny can manage it, so can we.”

“Can I steal a wee bit more time in the shadows before we step into the light?” He ran a finger down the slope of the nose of her mask and tapped the tip. “The music has started, and I know an owl who would love to dance with his goddess.”

“Lead the way,” she smiled and laid her head on his chest. “I can’t promise how graceful I will be, but I would love to dance with you. Especially, if you are as good on the dancefloor as you are in the air.”

They walked hand in hand to the centre of the dancefloor as the music drifted over the crowd. With a twist of his wrist, he twirled her into his chest and began to lead her around the dance floor. They spent the next few hours dancing, whispering, and enjoying each other's company.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” Ron’s voice rose above the dance floor as the large clock struck a quarter till midnight. “The time is almost here to reveal yourself to your dance partner. When the signal is given, take off your mask and kiss your partner.”

“And hope you have been dancing with the right harlequin.” George’s voice drifted from another corner of the room. “It could be quite the scene if you’ve been dancing with your mate's partner instead of your own all night.”

Laughter filled the ballroom as the Weasley brothers continued their banter. A shower of sparks from the ceiling stopped the chatter.

“Time to take off those masks.” Fred’s ghost swooped over the crowd as the clock chimed midnight and sparks continued to light up the ballroom. “Anyone who leaves their mask on might just get kissed by me.”

She slowly reached up and loosened the ribbons that held her mask on as he tapped the edge of his mask. Cupping her cheek with the hand that was not holding his mask, he pulled her into a soft kiss.

_Secrets Unmasked_  
_Rita Skeeter, Society Reporter_

_More than faces were revealed at the Ministry’s annual Hallow’s Eve Masquerade Ball. The secret relationship between Deputy Minister Hermione Granger and Keeper Oliver Wood was exposed in a shower of sparks at the stroke of midnight. No one was more surprised than this reporter at the sight of these very private people in a very public embrace ..._


End file.
